The weather at the first of May was decidedly un-springlike, forcing several outdoor events to reschedule. The last day of May was more to everyone’s liking, and the Kansas SpeedWeek Cruise Night brought dozens of classic cars and racers to Great Bend’s Jack Kilby Square.

After a parade lap, car owners parked along the courthouse square, sometimes answering questions or popping hoods for curious onlookers. The free car show was organized by Sunflower Rod and Custom Association and the Vintage Wheels club.

For those who can’t get enough of classic wheels, the Art of the Car Concours takes place June 22-23 on the campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. This seventh annual fundraiser for the KCAI scholarship fund will feature more than 200 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles, including a 1966 Shelby owned by Great Bend attorney and Vintage Wheels club member Brock McPherson.

“I like Shelbys,” McPherson said Friday night during Cruise Night, as he showed another of the cars from his collection. For Cruise Night, he brought a Shelby concept car built for the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in 2007 for the Terlingua Racing Team. “(Carroll) Shelby signed the dash on this one.”

The black and yellow car features the Terlingua logo, a rabbit holding its paw in the air in the style of a British coat of arms.

The Shelby headed to Kansas City will join cars, trucks, racing cars and motorcycles belonging to collectors from eight states. Last year, at the sixth annual Art of the Car Concours, McPherson showed a 1931 Austin American Bantam two-door roadster that won the Chairman’s Award. Another Great Bend attorney and car lover, Dick Friedeman, won the MindDrive “Innovation in Design” Award last year for his 1922 Stanley Steamer.

For more information on the 2013 Art of the Car Concours: http://www.kcai.edu/events/special-events/art-car-concours